Operator, Inc
by grotesqueGrip
Summary: Marble Hornets - theshippingturtle's robot au: Jay works for a shady company, with a shady boss that he's never even seen, making shady products for shady people. And he doesn't remember ever signing up for any of this. At least he has his newly built robot, whom he has dubbed Tim for lack of a better name, to keep him company. [Jam - going to be nsfw - theshippingturtle]
1. Chapter 1

_Work, work, work...C'mon, I know you can do it, Tim..._

A dim red glow illuminated the room and Jay sighed softly. This was the fifth time he'd had to re-wire this damn robot before it would even think about working. Creating a sentient robot was really, really hard. Now it was blinking slowly, turning its head from side to side so that it could see the room better.

"Who...are you?"

"U-uh..." Shit. He probably should have prepared some sort of introductory speech or something. "My name is Jay. Your name is Tim. I, uh...I made you."

"Oh."

Tim looked at his outstretched hands, flexing the fingers and twisting his wrists slowly. Jay smiled. He'd done a damn god job, it seemed. Each movement was fluid and natural. There was nothing artificial about it.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you make me?"

"I..." Jay felt heat rush into his cheeks. "I was lonely."

This was technically very true. For a little over a decade now he had worked for "The Operator", a shady company with an even shadier boss that made a wide variety of products for a wide variety of people. The didn't really sell _one _thing. They sold specially tailored items to specific individuals who placed orders.

The funny thing was, Jay didn't remember ever joining up with the company. He just sort of woke up in this godforsaken workshop one day and got to work. The idea to build a companion came to him while he was working on a little theater mask, actually. A pure white piece with tiny black lips and big, black circles around the eyes. The only emotion on the false face was conveyed through the thin, highly arched eyebrows painted just a little above the eyes.

Jay cleared his throat to break the awkward silence. Tim sat up slowly, swinging his new legs over the edge of the table and testing the ground gently.

"So what now?"

"Well, now you...I don't know. You become human."

"How?" Tim's facial expression became one of confusion. Jay's face brightened and his smile widened.

"I haven't installed any emotions in you, really. I gave you enough intelligence to be able to discover emotions as you go, though. So what you're feeling right now, that's called confusion. It's when you don't understand something."

"Yeah I got that, Jay." Tim had by now begun to walk around the shop, picking things up and examining each of them carefully. Jay followed a few steps behind him, a little worried that he might break something. Tim glanced back at him, frowning and furrowing his brow.

"I'm not going to break anything, okay? Jesus Jay, go do...whatever it is that you do."

"I make things."

Tim sighed and rolled his eyes. He motioned to the cluttered workbench he had been sifting through. "Yeah, I gathered."

Jay smiled sheepishly. His face was actually starting to hurt from smiling. For the past...oh god how long had it even been? He couldn't remember any more. Tim seemed to be settling in just fine. In fact, he seemed more at home than Jay ever had. Hell, he seemed to feel more human than Jay ever had.

"Oh, wait! One last thing."

"What?"

"Clothes. You should probably wear clothes."

"Wh-" Tim's face went blank. "Did you...did you give me...For what reason exactly did you need to give me male genitalia, Jay? It's not like I can actually reproduce."

"I don't know!" Jay turned awaqy, burying himself in his work to hide the fact that his face had gone crimson. "I just...I just thought you might want to be...anatomically correct."

"Anatomically correct." Tim repeated, sounding rather suspicious of Jay's motives.

"Yeah, sue me, okay?"

"And anatomically gifted?"

"Wha- no, I mean!"

"I'm fairly certain this is above avera-"

"It doesn't matter, Tim! Go do...go do something that isn't this!"

_Oh my god. I really hope he doesn't figure out that it vibrates, too. _

"It _vibrates?_"

"Okay, you need to not be in my head."

"You gave me a thought process similar to, if not identical to, your own. Why does it vibrate."

Jay threw his hands up in defeat. So he had absolutely no desire to go out and actually _meet _somebody and wound up building his own damn boyfriend, _sue him. _"Hey wanna come over to this workshop that I randomly woke up in one day where I get shady requests from a shady boss that I never see to make shady items that I never actually ship they just disappear and my weekly pay also just appears on my bedside table for no apparent reason and we can have coffee or something" wasn't exactly a good pick-up line.

_"Oh." _

Apparently it had just dawned on Tim what exactly Jay had meant to do from the start. Jay cringed and slumped down on his bed.

"You were _lonely._"

"Yeah." He mumbled.

"Well..." Tim shifted uncomfortably. "Do you have any clothes I can borrow?"

"Er, yeah?" That wasn't where he expected that to go. He dug out a t-shirt and some jeans from his dresser and tossed them to his companion. "You're not...mad, are you?"

"No."

"Okay. I was just asking beca-"

"If I was built to essentially be a fuck toy I guess I'd rather be your fuck toy than pretty much anyone else's. So, thanks I guess." Tim's cheeks had begun to glow bright red, as if the circuitry there were heating up under stress.

"O-oh." Jay swallowed hard. "You're w-welcome. I guess."

[[To be continued but I feel like the quality is declining right now and I'm going to pick this up again later.]]


	2. Chapter 2

Jay frowned as he rummaged through the cabinet looking for something suitable as a breakfast. He found, instead, an empty box of cereal and a couple of wrenches that he had misplaced about a week ago.

"Good morning, Jay."

He jumped. He'd almost forgotten about Tim. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. It was really nice to hear someone else's voice in the morning.

"Good morning, Tim."

"Sleep well?" Tim was sitting on the metal work table where he had been "born", watching Jay with a bored look on his face.

"Er...yeah. You?"

Tim rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I slept wonderfully and I had the strangest dream that I actually spent the entire night watching you toss and turn."

Jay cleared his throat and turned away to hide the fact that he was blushing. Now he felt kind of stupid. Of course Tim hadn't slept, Jay hadn't installed any kind of "Sleep mode". He made a mental note to get on that though, he had no idea if Tim could overheat and what kind of damage that might do.

"Well, I still need to eat so I'm going to go out to the store. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Oh...okay?" Little red question marks flashed in Tim's eyes, drawing a goofy grin from Jay.

"Oh, right! I forgot you could do that!"

"Do what?"

"Your eyes...you know what, it doesn't matter don't worry about it."

"Do what? What did you do to my eyes?" He repeated tensely , following Jay over to the door.

"I made them more...expressive, ok? Chill out. Why are you following me?"

"I'm coming with you, dumbass."

"Why?"

"Because." Tim huffed.

"Because...?" Jay felt like he was aggravating Tim, but he really didn't understand why he wanted to come along. The city was kind of dingey and rusty and gross. There wasn't much to see.

"What makes you think you're the only one capable of being lonely? Besides, I'm not going to let this workshop become my entire world. I want to see what else there is."

_"Jay?" _A familiar voice made Jay look up from the receipt he was checking over.

"Oh, hey Alex." His heart sank a little.

"Hey man! It's been a while. Still wasting time on that robot or...?"

"Actually, he finished me." Tim stepped into view. He had walked out of the store holding an armful of grocery bags. Alex's eyebrows shot up and after a moment he nodded approvingly. Jay gave a short, nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of him. His name is Tim. Tim, this is Alex. He's a good friend of mine."

"Hello." Tim extended his free hand for Alex to shake.

"Impressive." He circled him once, leaning in occasionally to look at each joint.

"Is this really necessary?" Tim growled, stepping away from the hand that was prodding his neck roughly. "Stop touching me, damn it."

"Did you feel that?" Alex said flatly, ignoring Tim's obvious discomfort.

The question marks were back in Tim's eyes. "Feel what?"

"This." He placed his hand on the bot's shoulder again. Jay bit his lip.

"Alex, maybe you shouldn't..."

"No, I didn't." Tim hissed, swatting his hand away with a low snarl.

"Oh. Too bad, that. That would have been _really _impressive. Couldn't figure out a nervous system, Jay?"

"I could install a nervous system." he huffed, his ego slightly bruised by the criticism. He turned to Tim. "If you want one, that is."

"Yeah, I'd like that actually." Tim had fixed Alex with a stern, narrow-eyed glare.

"Well then, Jay, you'd better hop to it."

As they started to walk back to the shop, Jay heard Tim mumble something about wanting to "smack that sly grin from that bastard's face".

Jay liked Alex, he really did, but he also wanted to punch him in the face a lot. He had worked for hours, no, _days _on end to make the perfect pseudo-human. Perhaps he should have known better than to expect Alex to just be supportive. Although he was Jay's only real friend, he always had something negative to say. To be fair, it did fuel Jay's drive to improve his skills, but it was still frustrating.

Tim didn't seem to like him nearly as much.


	3. Steam

_[[In between chapters with actual plot-advancing information, i'll post little bits to tide you guys over. Most of these will be elaborations on canon headcanons from theshippingturtle and others. Please enjoy!]]_

"Hold still!" Jay put both hands on Tim's shoulders to steady him. He had been fidgeting and craning his neck around to see what Jay was doing for the past 20 minutes and it was making it extremely difficult to connect the wires he wanted connected.

"Well you're taking forever!" He turned to face forward, slouching slightly. "And I have no idea what you're actually doing, so I'm kind of nervous ok?"

Jay sighed and began working again. "Listen, I'm installing a separate battery for the nerves I'm about to put in. Once you can feel, you'll be able to feel pain too and if I have to open you up and repair something, I can disconnect the battery so that it won't hurt. Now, this involves using tiny screws and working with exposed wires, and if you keep fidgeting like this, I'm going to wind up - OW!"

Tim had turned his neck back again, causing Jay's hand to connect with a bare piece of wire and singing the skin on his fingertip. He felt tears springing up to his eyes as he blew on the new burn, which was already beginning to blister, trying to cool it down.

"Oh my God! Jay, I'm so sorry!" Tim spun around completely, grabbing Jay's wrist so that he could see the burn better.

"No, it's fine, I'll just run it under cold-"

"Oh God it's blistering, Jay I'm so sorry."

"Tim, it's fine!" Jay yanked his wrist free and immediately regretted doing so. Thin lines of steam had begun to pour from the corners of Tim's mouth. Little wisps were escaping from the cracks between various joints.

"You literally _just _ told me to stop moving and I moved anyway. I feel like such an ass."

"No, Tim, it's fine. Look, the swelling's already going down and it's getting less red!" The words tumbled over one another as Jay tried to sound comforting. He was at the sink now, running cold water over the wound. Cursing under his breath, he wrapped his finger in a bit of cloth and rushed back over to Tim.

"Listen, babe, calm down-"

_"Babe?" _

"Er..."

"_Really, Jay?" _His voice was slightly distorted and the steam was starting to get worse. _"I'm not a baby, I'm apparently a pretty dangerous mis-"_

"YOU'RE NOT A MISTAKE." Jay stood suddenly and grabbed Tim's shoulders, surprising him with the strength of his grip. He remembered what Alex had said when he first picked up this project and it made his stomach hurt.

_You're not a mistake. Sentient robots don't have to turn bad. Alex is wrong, I know you'll be just fine._

Tim had stopped speaking, but the steam had not stopped. It was beginning to pour more heavily from his mouth and new strands of steam were starting to leak from his joints.

"Tim, calm down, you're going to overheat." Jay sighed shakily.

_"You're bleeding, Jay." _

Jay glanced down at his wrapped finger and sighed. The blister seemed to have popped and blood was starting to show through the wrappings.

"It's just a bit of blood, Tim, it's ok. Please, calm down. I'm the one who didn't wear gloves while working with exposed heated wiring, if it's anyone's fault it's my own."

Tim just stared up at him. He started to say something but an idea seized Jay suddenly.

He cut Tim off with a kiss.

Jay's mouth filled with hot steam, causing him to cough and stumble backwards. Tim's face flushed red.

"Jay you idiot!" He yelped, picking Jay up by the shoulders and sitting him down on the workbench.

"I-I'm sorry! I just thought - In movies it-" Jay sputtered, eyes watering slightly from coughing.

"This isn't a movie, Jay!" Tim sighed, immediately regretting how loudly he'd said the words. Jay probably thought he was yelling at him. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"It's okay."

They were both quiet for a moment while Tim tried to calm himself down. The steaming slowed and ultimately came to a complete halt. Jay stood up slowly and walked back over to the sink to change the bandage on his burn. Tim watched him go.

_Sigh._

Jay jumped slightly as he felt a rough tap on his shoulder.

"How about you try that again, with less steam this time around?" Tim grumbled.

"Is...Is that okay?" Jay's eyes went wide.

"Of course it's ok you twit."

Before Jay could respond, Tim had a fistful of his shirt. His lips connected with surprising smooth metal. Jay felt a strange warmth spread through his belly and chest. He felt tense and nervous and _desperate. _Every part of him ached. Tim moved his lips gently against Jay's. Slowly at first as if testing to see if that's what he was supposed to do. Then, when Jay returned the kiss, much more roughly. Warm metal fingers crept up the small of his back, stroking the protruding ridges of Jay's spine purposefully, tenderly. A violent shiver ripped through Jay and his breath caught in his throat. Tim pulled away and stepped back, leaving Jay staring at him wild-eyed and chest heaving.

"You didn't feel that?" He croaked, backing up slowly until he was gripping the edge of the sink.

"Er...no. I can't, remember?"

"I've really got to install that system for you."

Tim watched him quizzically. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Jay let out a long, unsteady breath as he tried to calm his body. "That was just...really hot."

"I didn't burn you again, did I?"

Tim really couldn't understand why Jay started laughing so hard.


	4. Chapter 3

_**[[TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING THAT IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN IN THE ACTUAL TEXT: The world this takes place in is a bit different than ours. Imagine the industrial revlution but more so. New materials have been discovered to work with, new technologies have come to light, new ways of transportation and such...an important thing to know about is a peculiar form of metal found in this world: Nonconductive Marbelite. This is a special form of metal with a consistency a bit like very dense rubber. In appearance and surface texture it's just like metal, but if you were to squeeze it hard it would give a bit like flesh. Nonconductive Marbelite does not conduct electricity at all, making it a popular coating-material for human-like worker robots to prevent nasty electrical shocks and/or malfunctions in the workplace. It does conduct heat, but poorly. Boiling temperatures bring it up to a temperature similar to feverish flesh. Under intense heat it will tense up, giving it the consistency of wet wood - only gives under a VERY rough squeeze. This metal coats Timbot's entire metal structure, because Jay is a professional goddamnit and his robot will be professional too. Keep that in mind while reading this chapter and all future chapters or you'll be really fucking confused.]]**_

It took a grand total of 1 week for the whole system to be finished and installed.

Honestly he could have done it a bit faster, but he had also wanted to install some sort of ventilation system for Tim to prevent the whole overheating issue. He installed a series of hinged metal plates down his back, little hatches for steam to escape through when it was necessary. And it was often necessary, as it seemed particularly strong emotions brought on what Jay had begun to refer to jokingly as "hissy fits". Whenever one of these fits began the plates would raise, allowing steam to escape freely. It gave Tim a sort of feral, harsh appearance when he was angry - a ridge of spikes flowing down his back all raising up at once with a sharp hissing sound.

Jay kept the battery for the sensory nerves off most of the time, only turning it on ocassionally to check if it was working. It placed more value on the sensations when they were felt, in his opinion. Whenever he finished connecting the circuit to a small portion of Tim's body, he'd spend a few minutes brushing his fingertips over the metal there. Tim would always have a surprised look on his face, staring incredulously back and forth between Jay and the point of contact. He practically lived for those moments of child-like joy in his companion's face.

Today was the big day, though. The day he finished the final piece of the system.

Tim sat now on the edge of the work table, watching Jay anxiously as he sifted through his tools. Wires cascaded down Tim's back, connecting him to the central battery which Jay had removed since burning his finger on an exposed wire. Both of them had waited for today with bated breath. Tim was always asking questions about what it would feel like, and Jay was always left struggling to describe it.

"It feels really good, I promise."

"Ok, but what does it feel like?"

"I don't know, like...Good. Pleasurable."

"Try to explain."

Jay sighed. "You'll find out soon, ok?"

He reach to flick the battery switch off, but Tim caught his hand.

"Leave it."

"What? Why?"

"I want to feel you working."

Their eyes met for a moment and Jay shuddered. He still never got used to seeing such human emotion in those eyes.

Jay put his hands on Tim's knees, pushing them apart slowly. He drew in a shaky breath. Running a hand up the seam of his leg, feeling each bolt head one by one, he stopped right at the base of the only un-feeling piece left on his body. With his other hand he gave Tim's thigh a squeeze, the metal giving slightly beneath his touch and pulling a little hiss from Tim's parted lips.

"Ready?"

"I-I think so."

It was a powerful feeling, working on another living being like this. The fact that he could elicit little gasps and sighs from his creation while he did so made it even better. Jay found himself going out of his way to brush against the more sensitive areas when he moved. He found himself smirking as he lingered on the task of connecting the most sensitive nerves. By the time he was through, steam was beginning to seep from Tim's back. He was shivering, eyes shut tight. Jay straightened himself up to see his handy work in its entirety.

For a moment, Tim was silent. He hadn't really felt these new sensations in one smooth motion yet, only sharp stabs of pleasure when Jay felt mischievous. But he wanted to. He wanted to feel everything in order. And he really didn't feel like waiting, either.

"Well? How does it feUMPH!" Tim seized Jay around the waist, pulling him into a rough kiss.

It was wildly different from their first, he noticed. There was no hesitation, for one thing. For another, Tim could _feel_ Jay this time. His lips were soft, but they moved against his own with a sort of desperate strength as the kiss deepened. He could feel Jay's bony ribs as he slid his hands under his shirt. Could feel the way the skin pulled taut over these protrusions and nowhere else. He could feel Jay's tongue dart over his bottom lip.

This time he could feel Jay's breath on his lips when he pulled away.

"T-Tim?" Jay squeaked.

Tim still hadn't spoken. He was far too busy _feeling_ to speak. Although the new nerves hadn't even been touched yet, he could feel them throbbing and pulsing as a new wave of heat surged through him. He slid himself off the table and began guiding Jay by the waist backwards towards the bed. His hands found their way to the bottom of his shirt, which Jay eagerly helped him remove.

Tim paused. This moment was perfect: Jay pinned beneath him, and he could feel the quickening pulse in his wrists, and his own body ached with desperate desire, and he could _feel _himself swelling...He could feel the tickle of steam escaping from his spine, could feel the heat like a weak fever.

"Is this okay, Jay?" His words came out along with a thin line of steam, making his lips tingle in a way that he would come to love.

"Y-yes. Yes it is."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

That was all he needed. He had his fingers hooked in Jay's belt loop and jerking desperately at the fabric barrier between them as soon as the word left his mouth. Jay's face flushed bright red and he looked away. Tim smirked. Seeing Jay exposed and vulnerable like this was just..._delicious._ That air of self-confidence and power was gone in that moment. Now _he _was in control.

Jay was _his. _

He ran his fingers teasingly along Jay's throbbing length, lingering at the head to draw forth a quiet, silky moan. Oh he wanted nothing more than to relieve his own passionate tension, but this was just too perfect. He wrapped his hand around Jay's cock, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction as the man tensed beneath his touch. He leaned up close to Jay's face, locking him into a kiss as he began to move his hand in long, steady strokes.

_This is rapture. This is human._

Those two thoughts circled in his brain relentlessly. He was drowning in these new sensations - the heat, the textures, the _want and need._

Jay flung his arms around Tim's neck with a weak moan and buried his face in his shoulder. He was thankful for such things as marbelite in that moment. It was that substance which made Tim's hand warm and soft. It was that substance that made Tim's lips pliable and human against his own.

Every muscle in his body screamed for more. Tim had picked up the pace, his mouth hovering now just beside Jay's ear. He felt selfish lying there on his back, his boyfriend doing all the dirty work. A smirk crept over Jay's lips. He knew where all the most sensitive bundles of nerves rested. Jay craned his neck up, tracing a thin line along Tim's jaw and neck with his tongue. He paused a few times to kiss and suckle the places where the nerves were closest to the surface. Tim's moans and whimpers rolled over him in waves of steam, making his hair and skin damp and hot.

"M-more," Jay stuttered breathlessly, thrusting his hips up into the hand that gripped his cock. "Please?"

_**[[Oh you weren't expecting me to give it all away in one chapter, were you? Oh no, this gets 2 parts. You get chapter 2 tomorrow assuming you haven't all killed turtle.]]**_


	5. Chapter 4

**___TRIGGER WARNING: Choking, Domination, Intense/Rough Sex._**

_More._

What a beautiful word to hear, Tim thought, with such an attractive man pinned beneath his body. He hesitated for a moment, considering the possibilities of what "more" meant. He straightened up so that he was kneeling between Jay's spread legs, letting his fingertips wander lazily over Jay's hipbones and down the inside of his thigh.

_"More?" _The distortion in his voice that always accompanied the presence of steam was becoming more prominent.

"P-please, Tim." Jay was almost whimpering. _"I need it."_

_"What do you need? Tell me."_

Jay blushed and turned his head away, biting his lip. Tim smirked. He liked seeing Jay like this - exposed and desperate for release. Oh he could have fun with this. His own need was swelling to the point of being almost unbearable. Out of sheer impatience he slid a finger into Jay and began to move slowly and purposefully, opening him up, readying him for what was to come. A shiver visibly passed through Jay's body and escaped from his lips as a soft whine.

_"If you don't say it," _He whispered against Jay's neck, _"I won't give you what you want."_

"I want..." Jay trailed off. Tim's grin became wicked. Apparently he needed to be a little more persuasive. He slipped in another finger, moving faster and harder than before.

"I want you to fuck me!" Jay gasped, throwing his head back in ecstasy. "P-please!"

_"Good boy. Put your legs around me and hold on."_

"O-Okay." He was still shivering and his breath was coming in unsteady bursts. Tim hesitated, staring down at Jay's bare chest. It had only just occured to him why he was so nervous.

_"This is your first time, isn't it?"_

Jay bit his lip and nodded. "I want you to enjoy yourself though, it's your first time too. So you don't have to be gentle, ok?

_"Oh I won't."_

Little beads of sweat dripped from Jay's hair - or maybe it was simply condensation from the steam, he couldn't really tell - but Tim thought it made him look ten times as beautiful. Tim stood up and wrapped his hands around Jay's hips, lifting him up and roughly pinning him against the wall. He threw his arms and legs around Tim, his breath quickening and his eyes going wide. Tim slid himself into Jay, slowly at first, allowing him a chance to adjust to his thickness. Jay's head tilted forward, long silky moans loosing from his lips. Tim hissed, leaning his forehead against Jay's. He couldn't have asked for a better partner to show him what sex felt like. He was tight and oh so _sensitive. _Every little touch brought forth a reaction.

_"Are you okay?"_

"Y-yeah. It just kinda h-hurts, that's all."

_"Are you ready?"_

"I think so."

The words had barely left Jay's lips when Tim thrust into him, each movement impatient and full of a certain feral need. Jay gripped his shoulders tighter, trying to keep his hold as his body bounced violently. Tim felt his lips curl into a cruel smile. Perhaps he was his creator, but for now Jay was all his. He could make him do anything, if he really wanted to. Loud gasps and moans filled the room, almost reverberating off of all the sheets of scrap metal propped up against this and that.

_"Stop being so loud, Jay. You don't want people on the streets to hear, do you?"_

"Sorry." He whimpered.

_"Sorry what?" _Tim was having fun with this.

"Sorry, s-sir!" Jay moaned, throwing his head back.

_"That's better." _He locked Jay into a deep kiss, swallowing the stream of whimpers and yelps which only became louder with each thrust.

"S-Sir?"

_"Yes?"_

"It hurts, b-being against the w-wall."

Jay's legs had been slipping from his waist, causing light bruises to form on the sides and backs of his ankles. Without a word Tim threw him face down on the bed, ignoring Jay's quiet noises of protest about being let go of. One hand went to the small of Jay's back, stroking each bump of his spine and bringing about another desperate moan. The other went to his own back where he gripped the loose wires dangling there and bringing them around to the front. He wrapped the wires around Jay's neck, pulling his head back sharply and thrusting back into him impatiently.

"Thank y-you sir!" Jay was yelling now. His hands gripped the sheets as if they would somehow relieve him. A strange tingling feeling was spreading through his neck, a bit like the hum of electricity - if it were a physical sensation. His breath came in short bursts, restricted by the wires that held his head back. Thoughts came in broken shards, falling apart before they could finish themselves.

_It was incredible._

Jay felt like he was on fire. Tense, feverish, sweat and steam dampening his body. His eyes flew open and he gave one last strangled yell before his back arched suddenly and his head jerked down, pulling the wires free from Tim's hand. He felt himself cum and knew he would be punished for not asking. But that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered is that everything had gone still and silent suddenly, save for the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Tim pulled out of him slowly and Jay felt a warm splash on his back, Tim's own release.

Jay slumped forward. He tried to speak, to aplogize to Tim, or thank him, or something, _anything. _But he couldn't form sentences yet. He settled on muttering "Sorry, sir." with his eyes closed and his face half-buried in the sheets.

_"You didn't ask."_

"I know, sir. Sorry, sir."

_"I'll let it go this time just because it's your first. Never again, though. Not without my permission, understand?"_

"Yes, sir."


	6. An important announcement

This is all based off of theshippingturtle's Robot AU

I simply wrote the Operator, Inc. fic, but there are several key terms and pieces that need to be understood and explained in relation to the setting of the story. I really should have posted this sooner, it's on my tumblr but it occurs to me not all of you have tumblr and/or follow me so here:

**THE CITY OF CASCADE:** This takes place in a dingy steampunk-esque city. You know, I should say Industrial Revolution-esque, actually. Greys, different shades of rust, copper/bronze, etc. - That's the color scheme of this setting. Stores would exist for all sorts of things that both humans and robots would need: Hardware, food, repair parts, etc. Just imagine a city in a world where we advanced ONLY steam technology - pretty much nothing else.

**OPERATOR, INC.:** A company that produces oddly specific items that can only be obtained via a complicated order form. Nobody has ever seen the boss. Anybody who works for the company will find themselves living in a workshop fully decked out with all the necessities of a human household. They will find orders showing up on their night stands and work tables and counters, sometimes accompanied by envelopes full of money (their wages) or boxes containing necessary parts for the order. The orders disappear when they're done, though god only knows how they know or who takes them…

**ROBOTS**: Robots are very common in this world, mainly as servants and assitants. Most of them only have the ability to follow orders up to a certain level of complexity, although some robot makers are more talented than others. The most talented robot creator currently known in the city is Jay, a young man from Operator, Inc. who is seldom seen outside of his shop. It's a robot capable of feeling human emotions, developing sentient thoughts, and detecting physical sensations. His name is Tim.

**NONCONDUCTIVE MARBELITE:** New materials have been discovered to work with, new technologies have come to light, new ways of transportation and such…an important thing to know about is a peculiar form of metal found in this world: Nonconductive Marbelite. This is a special form of metal with a consistency a bit like very dense rubber. In appearance and surface texture it's just like metal, but if you were to squeeze it hard it would give a bit like flesh. Nonconductive Marbelite does not conduct electricity at all, making it a popular coating-material for human-like worker robots to prevent nasty electrical shocks and/or malfunctions in the workplace. It does conduct heat, but poorly. Boiling temperatures bring it up to a temperature similar to feverish flesh. Under intense heat it will tense up, giving it the consistency of wet wood - only gives under a VERY rough squeeze. This metal coats Timbot's entire metal structure, because Jay is a professional goddamnit and his robot will be professional too. Keep that in mind while reading this chapter and all future chapters or you'll be really fucking confused.

**MENTHONOL: **A coal substitute that is actually just a highly combustable powder that can be added to water in order to produce bring it to a sudden boil and produce steam. It would have to be consumed very slowly into the system in order to be functional. It is often put into electronic "cigarettes" for steam powered robots to "smoke" as a way of absorbing it into the system. It is incredibly poisonous to humans and should not be consumed by anything other than a robot ever at all don't do it. If burned too quickly it leaves behind a clear, slick, almost oily substances that serves no purpose whatsoever.

**INTERFERENCE**: In the presence of certain eldritch beings (which aren't as uncommon as you'd think around here), robots are known to malfunction - sometimes with fatal results. Regular bots are less effected, simply losing the ability to obey orders properly and various system malfunctions. Sentient bots are affected greatly and are prone to violent outbursts as well as failures in certain emotional circuits.

**DISTRICTS:** Cascade is laid out in a sort rough circle. Now draw an X through that circle and you have a map of the 4 Districts. They are as follows: The Marble District, The Rosswood District, The Darkened District, and The Granite District.

The Marble District: Home to most of the Operator, Inc. workshops. Other than that, a few small convenience stores dot the streets.

The Rosswood District: The only District in which plant life is capable of growing, for some reason. It is fiercely guarded as Cascade's soul human food source.

The Darkened District: A shadowy district with a corporate feel to it. Tall buildings, all with darkened windows. It is suspected that the majority of the city's eldritch terrors reside here.

The Granite District: Perhaps the only "normal" part of the city. Bustling marketplace, residential buildings all over the place, tidy streets - Most of the population resides here. Overcrowding is a serious problem.


	7. Menthonol

Tim lay beside him now, flat on his back with his hands clasped behind his head. Jay inched his way closer until his head was resting on his chest. Tim glanced down at him and smiled.

_"You did keep your promise about it feeling good. We'll have to do that again sometime."_

"We will, I promise. Whenever you want, whatever you want to do." Forbidden fruit, once tasted, was a powerful and highly addictive drug.

His eyes opened wide for a moment and his hand shot out across Tim's chest, tearing open the drawer on the nightstand. Tim stared down at him in utter confusion.

_"Jay, what are you-"_

"Here." He had found what he was looking for - a sleek metal cylinder made to look like a cigarette. One end had a small hole in it and the other has a roughly textured red light. Tim took it from him and stared at him quizzically, waiting for an explanation.

"Just put that end in your mouth and breathe in. It'll replace the menthonol you lost. You came, too. When menthonol is burned up really fast it leaves a sort of slick, almost oily feeling water behind. I knew you'd burn up a lot of it when these nerves," He ran his fingers along Tim's cock, earning a harsh hiss from the metal man. "were in use. I made it so that you'd cum once enough of it was burned up." He blushed lightly. "I didn't want to be the only one having fun."

Tim cocked his head slightly, but he obeyed.

Jay bit his lip as he watched Tim take a deep drag and exhale a thin line of smoke. There was something about seeing him smoke that was really, really attractive.


	8. Chapter 5

**_[TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD, GORE, VIOLENCE.]_**

_Oh my god it feels like I fell down a flight of stairs._

Jay groaned and rolled over onto his back. Tim was gone, assumedly somewhere else in the house or the shop. Everything ached, especially his legs. He had discovered a rather valuable lesson last night - sex with a robot was intense, pleasurable, and he would do it a thousand times more. But the morning after was hellish. Slowly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. Scooping up a fresh pile of clothes, he made his way over to the door that connected the shop to the main house, eager to have a cup of coffee and wash up. On the way over he caught his reflection in a pane of glass and sighed. Bruises, all over his shoulders and arms and legs. They poked out from under his waistband, surely extending over his hips and the down the back of his thighs.

"Good morning." Tim was seated at the kitchen table, already smoking his first menthonol cigarette of the day. A cup of coffee sat opposite of him, which he motioned to now. "I made you coffee."  
"Oh! Thanks." Jay smiled. "I just need to, uh, wash up a bit. I'll be right back."  
Tim looked up and his eyes went wide.  
"Oh my _god. _Did I do that? Jesus, Jay, I'm so sorry."  
"N-no, it's fine! I'm okay! I liked it, it was worth it. We just have to wait a while before we get that..._intimate, _again. Let me put some clothes on, okay?"

Jay scuttled off into the bathroom, blushing slightly when he saw his reflection again. What a greasy, smudgy mess he was. There were small indents on his cheek where the bolts on Tim's chest plate had dug in. _Well, that's what I get for using a robot as a pillow. _He chuckled softly to himself as he stepped into the shower.

* * *

Tim sighed. He had really done a number on Jay, it seemed. Mental note: Take it easy next time. The feeling of having so much power over his creator was addicting, but the guilt of seeing him covered in bruises wasn't really worth it. It unsettled him that he hadn't even realized how rough he was being. What if one day he...

No. No he would never hurt Jay. He would take care not to leave bruises any more. He would take care of Jay, that was his job. Right? Wasn't he Jay's boyfriend and weren't boyfriends supposed to be protective?

These were the things he fretted about while he listened to the water run and held Jay's coffee, turning on his heating system to keep it warm.

* * *

Jay re-entered the kitchen feeling refreshed. The hot water had soothed his aches and pains. Tim held out the cup of coffee automatically, seemingly lost in thought. Jay's brows knit together as he sat down.

"You okay?"  
"Yeah. What about you? Do those bruises hurt badly?"  
"I'm _fine, _Tim. I promise." He reached out and stroked Tim's cheek tenderly. "I told you, I liked last night a lot. I was happy. I still am."  
Tim remained silent and stared down at the table, but a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.  
"Now then," Jay took a sip of his coffee, pleasantly surprised that it was still warm. "I have an order that I've been putting off for about 3 weeks now. It's pretty cool, actually. A special bot heart. You can help me out if you want. I need to get a few parts for it still, just a couple of brass hooks. You coming with me to buy them or...?"  
"Of course I am."  
"Great!" Jay rose from his seat, placing the empty mug in the sink.

As Jay reached to open the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Tim, looking nervous and trying very hard to avoid making eye contact.

"Er, Jay?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Am I dangerous?"  
Jay froze. Alex's words echoed in his head and he swallowed hard.  
"No. No you're not dangerous."  
"Are you sure?"  
"You're strong, but you're smart enough to know how to use that strength." Jay said firmly. He brought a hand to Tim's chin, forcing him to look at his face. "You're not dangerous. Don't ever say that."

* * *

_"Hello, Jay."_

Jay's heart sank. He sighed and placed the toolbox he'd been examining back on the shelf. "Hello, Alex."  
"You look pretty beat-up. Rough night?"  
"Sort of. I had trouble sleeping." _Please stop talking.  
_"Why? Couldn't get comfortable with all those bruises? I bet those are from that robot."  
"Shut up, Alex! It's not from anything like that!" He spun around, heat rushing to his cheeks. He had never been so angry before and it kind of scared him. Silently he prayed that Tim was still on the other side of the store, looking for brass hooks.  
"But he did cause them, didn't he? Is that what you're into these days?"  
"Sh-shut up." He looked away, folding his arms across his chest and shrinking a little. Alex gave him a cruel, knowing smile.  
"I told you he was a mistake. He'll be the death of you one day."

_"Say that again. To my face." _Jay discovered that yes, his heart could sink lower than it already had.

"Oh, hello there. I said you're a mistake. Jay shouldn't have ever tried to play god. You're going to snap one day. Probably going to kill him." Alex turned to walk away but Tim lunged forward, wrapping one hand around his neck and pinning him to the wall.  
"T-Tim, no! Put him down!" Jay was panicking. He couldn't stop Tim physically, that much he knew. "Please!"

_"One more word and I'll make sure you suffer for the rest of your life you fucking plague rat."_

"See?" Alex struggled to speak under Tim's tightening grip, still smiling wickedly. "I told you he'd go insa-"

There was a horrible ripping noise, followed by an ear-splitting wail. Jay felt like he was going to be sick. He was shaking violently, almost unable to stand.

Tim dropped Alex to the floor. The man clutched at the bloody hole where his arm used to be. The robot's eyes had begun to glow a searing crimson red. He tossed the arm to the side with a cold smile.

_"Get out of my sight. Get out of my sight and rest assured that if I ever see your face again I'll take the other arm too."_

"T-Tim...Please, no, don't...Go home, Tim. Please just go home." Jay was almost crying. When Tim turned around to face him, he looked like a child who realized he'd done something wrong. The hurt in his eyes forced Jay to look away. Tim left without a word.

"I told you Jay! This is exactly what I meant! Control that fucking _animal _you call your 'boyfriend'!"

By this time, the shop owner had come back to the aisle and was already working on the wound with a medical kit. He shot a nervous glance back at Jay, telling him that he better leave so that he didn't have to face Cascade's fucked up police force. He promised to tell them that it was a malfunction, that the bot had been provoked and was acting in defense mode. Jay thanked him profusely, stuttering worse than he ever had before. He couldn't even look at Alex.

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Jay shouted, nearly breaking the door's hinges as he stormed into the shop. He wasn't angry so much as he was frightened and sad.  
"I'm sorry, Jay, I just-"  
"No! No, I just...That was _not _okay! You asked me if you were dangerous and I told you no, and then you went and _tore somebody's arm off!_"  
Tim cringed, sinking down into his chair. Jay was splashing water on his face, still shaking badly.  
"I'm sorry."  
"Please, just...Just don't talk to me for a little while, okay? You're not leaving this house ever again, I swear to god."  
"Jay, I'd never hurt _you _it's just that son of a bitch-"  
"I have to build Alex a new arm to replace the one you _removed. _I have to get started on that immediately. Please, stay in here and...I don't even know."  
"Okay."

Jay was miserable. He didn't like yelling at Tim. He didn't like the fact that Tim looked so hurt, like he would be crying if he could. He didn't like the fact that _he _was crying because Alex had been right. He didn't like the fact that he had to build his friend, and he used this term loosely, a new arm.

He didn't like the fact that he was afraid of Tim.


	9. Redemption

Jay worked in silenced. Not once did he look up from his latest project, not once did he respond to Tim's attempts to help him. He did not accept the tools Tim brought him unless Tim backed away after putting them down. And it made Tim feel sick to know that Jay was afraid. He didn't regret tearing that bastard's arm off, not in the slightest. But he did regret upsetting Jay so badly. Perhaps it had been selfish of him to attack Alex like that.

_But he was upsetting Jay. I was just protecting Jay. He deserved it, too. He doesn't care about Jay like I do. He doesn't care about Jay at all. _

Occasionally he tried to apologize to him, tried to explain why he did it, tried to explain that he would _never _do anything like that to him. There was never any response. He wasn't even sure if Jay was registering his words. Once, he tried to grab Jay's shoulder to get his attention, but the man had cringed and almost fell in his attempt to get away. After that, he decided to simply stay in the kitchen and out of his way.

Every once in a while, Jay would come in and fix himself something small to eat. He never stayed, he always brought it back to the shop. In the later hours of the night Tim would stick his head through the door to check on him and find him asleep at the work table slouched over, his head resting on his arms.

He hadn't seen Jay in the kitchen in quite awhile, though, and every time he checked on him the little working light was on and Jay was slumped over and working. The tiny window above the sink told him that it was dawning on the next morning. Which meant that Jay hadn't slept or eaten in exactly 26 hours and 18 minutes, if he remembered correctly. Tim's mouth set into a firm frown. He had never done anything more than work the coffee pot, but he was willing to try for Jay's sake.

* * *

His body was sore, his head ached, his skin was crawling from lack of showering. His stomach screamed for something, anything to stop the hunger. Jay knew he should stop soon, take a break like Tim had suggested so many times. The thought of facing him again only made his stomach feel worse, though. Tim sounded genuinely distressed and Jay was pretty sure he understood exactly what he had done. But every time he apologized, it was followed by an excuse.

_No, don't justify it. Just don't justify it and I'll accept your apology. Just admit that what you did was wrong and irrational and promise me you'll never do anything like it again, to anyone, for any reason._

Every time Tim approached him these were the words Jay wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and bury his face in Tim's chest and sleep it all off and he wanted to let himself cry. He didn't cry very often, despite battling a constant stream of loneliness and depression. But he still didn't deal very well with shock, and Alex had been his only real friend. Jessica, a co-worker of his, stopped by occasionally to borrow tools or have a quick cup of coffee. However, they didn't talk much and he never really considered her a close friend.

"Jay?"  
He sighed, snapping his goggles up on his forehead and turning to look at Tim. Both mens' expressions turned to surprise. In one hand Tim was holding a plate with a slightly burned bagel, scrambled eggs, and bacon. In the other, a cup of coffee. Jay smiled a little despite himself. It was a sweet gesture. And he was so tired of this awful routine. Maybe he could give him some slack. Maybe Tim would come to understand eventually.  
"You haven't eaten anything in a while, so I tried to make you breakfast."  
"Thanks, Tim."  
"Why don't you come and sit down for a while? I'll leave you alone if you want, I won't stay in the room if it would make you feel..." Tim swallowed hard, closing his eyes as if it physically pained him to say the word. "Safer."  
"No, you can stay. I'd actually prefer it."  
"R-Really?"  
Jay nodded, taking the plate and cup from Tim and starting towards the kitchen.

* * *

They sat in silence, but it didn't matter to Tim. Jay was in the same room as him, eating breakfast like he would any other day. It was almost normal. Jay didn't cast suspicious glances in his direction any more. He took his time eating, un-rushed and unafraid.

"Hey, Tim, hand me that piece of tubing over there?"  
Tim looked up from the order form he was reading. A small amount of these had piled up over the past week and a half and Tim had tried very hard to complete some of the more complicated ones so that Jay didn't have to deal with them when he was done with the arm. So far he'd completed three of them.  
"Er, sure."  
"Thanks."  
"You're welcome." He raised his eyebrows, surprised but elated that Jay was speaking to him. Asking for help, to boot. "Do you need any help with that?"  
"Actually, could you hold this up so I can thread the tube through easier?"  
"Yeah, no problem."  
"Oh, that clockwork grenade set you put together for me shipped last night. You can start the next thing, if you want. I should be done with this tomorrow. I appreciate the work you've been doing, by the way."

Jay paused for a moment, giving Tim a warm smile.

"Pull that hook into place, right there. Yeah, like that."


	10. Chapter 6

_**[TRIGGER WARNING: SOME BLOOD, SLIGHT AND PRIMARILY IMPLIED AN INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF GORE BUT IF YOU'RE SQUEEMISH AND YOU PICTURE EVERYTHING IN YOUR HEAD IT'S KIND OF NASTY SO YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY. ALSO SLIGHT SMUT TOWARDS THE END?]**_

Jay had never been so nervous as he was now, standing in front of Alex's door. In his mind he saw two ways this meeting could go. Either Alex would be pleased to have a new arm and perhaps Jay would be at least partially forgiven, or Alex would try to kill him with his one good arm and he would have to spend the rest of forever feeling horrible about everything. He hesitated a moment before rapping his knuckles sharply on the heavy wooden door and listened for any sounds of movement. The door swung open and Alex's expression immediately switched from one of neutrality to one of pure rage.

"What the hell do _you _want?"  
Jay swallowed hard and extended the box containing the new appendage, trying not to stare at the empty shirt sleeve.  
"I-I just thought...you know, because of everything that happened...you might want a, uh, replacement..." His voice trailed off and he looked away. Alex eyed him suspiciously.  
"You didn't bring that...abomination, did you?"  
"I didn't bring Tim, no." He felt a stab of anger at these words, but he supposed Alex's concern was rather justified. "You want me to attach it?"  
"No I'll just stick it on with my good arm and hope it miraculously merges into my body. What do you think, idiot?" Alex huffed, motioned for him to enter.

The house was surprisingly cluttered. Jay always imagined Alex being very tidy and particular about everything, especially his living space. Instead, boxes and papers and folders were strewn everywhere. All the curtains were drawn, the only source of light being from a bronze gooseneck desk lamp. Jay didn't really like the way it felt, in all honesty. The whole atmosphere gave off a vibe of desperation, as if someone had searched frantically for something and torn the house apart in the process.

"Excuse the mess. I've been busy with research." Alex pushed a pile of papers off of a desk chair and sat down.  
"Oh? On what?" Jay pried open the lock on the toolbox he'd brought and started laying out his equipment on the desk.  
"Nothing of interest to you." He snapped.  
"Oh, sorry." There was a quiet, awkward moment of tension as Jay began his work. "So...How have you been?"  
Alex fixed him with a cold, incredulous stare. Jay drew in a sharp breath.  
"Sorry. Nevermind."

* * *

No matter how many times Tim swore he'd stay home, that he wouldn't follow Jay to Alex's house, Jay had still insisted he stay with Jessica and Brian until he got back. He sat now in the corner of Jessica's workshop on a small stack of tires. Watching Brian work was actually mildly disturbing to Tim. He didn't move like a human, not really. He didn't make suggestions about what material might be better for this particular thing or ask questions about the function of what he was building. Jessica said "do this" and Brian did just that. Tim shuddered. Was _that _what being a robot was supposed to be like? Cold, impersonal, just a machine to complete the tasks you didn't want to do?

"Hey, Tim, can you help me out with this?"  
"Probably." He made his way across the workshop to where Jessica was working on a particularly rare machine - a car.

There really weren't any in Cascade, even though there were paved roads. Everyone used the Cross-Track, a winding subway system below the city with two main lines that lead out of the city. Occasionally a car came in on a shipping train, damaged in some way or waiting to be assembled. Automotive mechanics were considered specialists and as far as Tim knew, Jessica was the only one in Cascade.

"See that bar-like thing across the back? That's the bumper. Get your hands under that and lift, please. Yeah, like that."  
"Don't you want him doing this? He knows how to work on these things, doesn't he?" Tim looked over at Brian as he held the back end of the car up. He was still working away with a bored look on his face. Tim hadn't seen a change in that expression since meeting him.  
"He's not built as sturdily as you are, so he mostly assembles stuff. I just don't want to deal with pushing this thing back onto the lift, and you just happen to be here and capable. i hope you don't mind?"  
"I don't care. Why do you need to get under it? What's wrong with it?"  
Jessica slid out from under the car and smiled up at him.  
"You're very curious for a bot. Bots don't usually ask questions or make small talk. I'll have to ask Jay how he made you so smart. You're almost human!"  
"I'm not just a bot." Tim mumbled as she disappeared beneath the car again, annoyed and slightly hurt by the label. Jay never called him a robot. Alex did, but Alex was just some pretentious asshole. Alex was wrong by default as far as Tim was concerned.

* * *

"How did it go?"  
"Fine, I guess."  
"You don't look fine."

Jay slumped down into a chair, burying his head in his arms on the kitchen table. He had come home quite battered and exhausted. Even Jessica knew better than to question him when he came to pick up Tim.

"The arm works just fine. I think I'm forgiven for now."  
"Why is there blood on your shirt?" Tim sat down across from him and Jay could almost feel himself being analyzed, checked over for any reason to yell about Alex.  
"Maybe because I had to undo a bunch of stitches and stick my hands all over a freshly opened wound?"

Tim didn't say anything. Jay sighed. He was aggravated. He was covered in blood and his head was pounding. For the past several hours he had endured Alex's cursing and lecturing while he worked in complete silence, internally defending Tim to the point of almost making up excuses for his behavior.

_He's not normally violent, just around you. _  
_All occasions of violence have occurred in your presence. _  
_Maybe you're the common denominator, ever think of that? _  
_He's just really protective. I programmed him that way.  
One violent outburst doesn't mean he's "gone rogue" it means he needs some work on anger management._

He was jolted from his thoughts by a pair of strong hands on his shoulders. For a moment he thought Tim might throw him across the room or some other thing that would prove Alex's point. But he didn't. He simply guided Jay gently into the upright position, leaned down, and kissed his neck tenderly.

"I'm sorry, Jay."  
"I-It's fine. I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to be rude." Jay could feel his heartbeat quickening. Tim was massaging his shoulders gently and, Jay noted, he was doing an excellent job of monitoring how hard he was pressing. Leaning his head back to rest on Tim's chest, a little whine passed his lips. Tim smirked. He knew exactly what he was doing.  
"Why don't you lay down for a bit? I'll lay with you."  
"Y-Yeah. That sounds r-really nice actually." Tim's hands had wandered down Jay's back, finding their way to all of his favorite spots.  
"I could help you unwind a little."  
"Why are you so excited all of the sudden?" Jay chuckled as Tim took his hand and began to lead him towards the bed.

Tim didn't respond until they were undressed, covering each other in kisses, hands finding their way to all the right places. Promises to be gentle and promises that it was okay if he wasn't were passed between the two men. Jay had completely forgotten that he had even asked the question as he wrapped his arms around Tim's neck, bracing himself for what was to come.

_"I'm excited," _Tim breathed the words into Jay's neck, kissing and nipping all along his jaw line and down to his collarbone. _"Because I want you to make me feel human again."_


	11. Chapter 7

Tim woke up.

This was strange in and of itself, considering he didn't really have an official "sleep" function - just the ability to close his eyes and enjoy Jay's steady breathing while they lay side by side, often in each others arms. But this time, he woke up with a panicky feeling bubbling up in his chest. His eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright. The other side of the bed was empty, the sheets seemingly undisturbed.

"Jay?" He listened for a response, any sounds of movement or signs of life. "Jay, come on. This isn't funny." A cruel silence greeted him.

Tim began his frantic search, cursing loudly all the while. The workshop was devoid of life. A new order form lay on the counter, but other than that nothing had been moved. The kitchen was empty as well. The bathroom, the living room, everything. Quiet, still,_ dead_. He was, at this point, assuming the worst and was fully prepared to end Alex's life if his assumptions were correct.

* * *

Alex nearly choked on his coffee. At first he thought multiple gunshots had been fired into a sheet of metal. It took him a few moments to realize that someone was at the door. The door shook violently on its hinges as he approached it, accompanied by more thunderous banging.

_Who the hell is here this early and why the hell are they being this loud? _

"Alex, if you don't open this door so help me _god _I'll rip all of your limbs off slowly and painfully."

He froze. It was that wretched bot Jay had built. Looking down at his new arm he felt a surge of anger. That thing had some nerve, showing up at his house this early in the morning and making more threats. And where exactly was Jay? Why wasn't he keeping a leash on it?

"Alex you have five seconds before I break this door down myself."  
"What do you want?" He called through the thick wood. He threw the bolt, unwilling to look danger in the face again.  
"I want Jay back you ass!"  
Alex hesitated. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Open the damn door!"  
"No, actually." He threw the door open, jaw clenched and eyes full of pure hate. "I don't know what you're talking about. What did you do to Jay? Where is he?"  
_"I didn't do anything to Jay! I don't know where he is. That's why I'm asking you. I wouldn't put it past you to kidnap him out of sheer spite." _Steam began to gush from Tim's back and his voice had become heavily distorted. Alex's eyes went wide. He'd never seen anything like this before.  
"Well, I didn't. And I wouldn't either."  
_"I don't believe you."_

Tim shoved his way past Alex, throwing him to the floor. He began to tear through the house, going room from room and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Alex was actually rather shocked. From the expression on Tim's face he might have cried if he had been capable of doing so. He looked furious, yes, but there was also a deep concern in his eyes. His mouth was set into an anxious frown. As if he cared about what fate Jay might have befallen. It occurred to him after a few minutes of gawking that his house was being completely decimated.

"Hey, whoa, calm down! Put that down, I doubt he'd fit in a dresser drawer you idiot."  
_"Where is he? What did you do?"  
_"I don't know where he is and I didn't do anything, I already told you that! When did you see him last? Was he acting strange? Did he seem sick?"

* * *

Tim was surprised to say the least. He had expected Alex to give him some sly smile and make some horrible accusation, but instead he was trying to help. It didn't ease his suspicion, really. Alex seemed like someone who was not only willing to lie, but did so quite often.

_"We were in bed. He was tired from being over here all day, but he didn't seem sick at all."  
_"Did he say anything strange? Was he being really aggressive or really skittish?"  
_"No. Why? What are you getting at?"  
_Alex sighed impatiently and walked past him, shouldering him roughly on his way past. Tim bit his tongue. Now was probably not the time to get violent. It sounded like Alex might be able to help him.  
"In this business, if you're getting sick you're getting fired. Permanently."  
_"You mean killed?" _Alex was digging through a pile of papers in search of something.  
"Obviously. It doesn't sound like Jay was getting sick. You'd know if he was about to be fired. Coughing, which gets worse until you start coughing up blood. Headaches, time loss, confusion, that kind of thing. Sometimes it means seizures. Did you experience anything strange? Blackouts, glitches, sparking? Things like that?"  
_"Y-Yeah."  
_"Okay? You wanna be a little more specific there? What exactly has been going on?"

Tim took a deep breath. He was afraid he was about to find out that Jay's disappearance was his fault somehow. Jay had been completely fine and well, it was him who had experienced the blackout. It was him who had neglected to tell Jay about the random moments where his vision turned to static and then snapped back to normal. It was him who often experienced strange twitches in his fingers and wrists. As he explained these things to Alex, he could almost hear Jay's voice telling him that if he noticed anything weird about the way he was functioning he _had _to tell him so that he could repair it. A look of realization and disbelief spread over the man's face and Tim actually cringed.

"You fucking idiot."  
_"I should have told him, I know. Just tell me what it means, okay? Spare me the lecture."  
_"It means that he's being stalked and you completely failed to notice. And now, because you failed to warn Jay, he's missing."  
_"Don't you dare pin this on me!" _Tim had him by the shirt, pinned to the wall. A familiar scene. One he promised Jay he would never have to see or hear about happening ever again.  
"Well he told you to tell him if anything weird was going on! Why the hell wouldn't you tell him about stuff like that? Don't you think those are pretty important pieces of information?"  
_"They started happening after I ripped your arm off. He wouldn't even look at me for those three weeks, what makes you think he would have even listened to me during that time?"_

The glare Alex gave him said the words for them both: _And who's fault was that, Tim? Who's fault was that? _Alex seized Tim's wrist with his metal hand and pried himself free of Tim's grip. It bothered him that Jay had built Alex such a strong and durable arm. He'd put as much effort into that arm as he had put into Tim's own arms. He drew in a sharp breath. Oh he'd give _anything _not to have to say this...

_"Help me find him."  
_"You're kidding, right?" Alex scoffed.  
_"He's your friend, isn't he?"  
_"Well he was, until he built himself a metallic maniac that ripped my goddamn arm off!" Alex was shouting now, waving his false arm in Tim's face.

_"Ok! Fine! I fucked it up! I got angry and I lost my temper! And now you're going to do the same damn thing! You're going to lose your temper and refuse to help me find him and in the end when I do finally find him and he's either dead or severely wounded, which one of us hurt Jay the worst, huh?" _His chest was heaving with anger and Alex's glasses were starting to fog from the sudden increase in steam. But it made both men pause. It was true, wasn't it? Alex was staring blankly at him. His mouth was open slightly as if he were trying to say something but the words wouldn't quite come.

_"That's the whole problem, isn't it?" _Tim began to stalk closer to Alex. His voice rose steadily with each word he spoke._ "Both of us are just - just children. Children with bad tempers. We're not that different. You're stubborn and biased, so am I. You're rude and cold, and under certain circumstances, so am I. The only difference is that you're made of flesh and bone and I'm made of metal. But if you don't help me, if you leave me to try and do this on my own, then that'll make me more human than you could ever hope to be."_

Alex had by now been backed up against the wall and was cowering under the intense volume of Tim's voice. Tim loomed over him. The distortion in his voice had gotten so bad that his words were almost unintelligible.

_"Now are you going to help me or not?"  
_"Fine." He hissed, taking hold of the hand that was offered to him. "But I'm not doing this for you, understand? I'm doing this for Jay."  
_"I don't care why you're doing it, as long as you're doing it."  
_"You do realize he might be dead, right?"  
Tim closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. He fixed Alex with a defiant glare.  
_"He isn't dead."_

Alex simply scoffed and shouldered past him again. This time his temper almost got the better of him and he had to clench his fists to keep himself from attack Alex. He reminded himself over and over in his head that this was temporary. Once he found Jay he would take care of this little issue. Tim could tell this wasn't going to be a pleasant journey, but he was willing to make it.

He was willing to make it if it meant having Jay back. Alive. Unharmed. _Safe._


	12. Chase

_**[Credit to Nymm-Kirimoto for the Hoodybot design!]**_

Hell.

Tim hadn't been taught much about religion, and honestly he didn't much care to learn, but this waiting seemed like an appropriate definition of Hell. Alex had insisted on waiting until the morning to go in search of Jay. He supposed that was fair. Cascade was dangerous enough during the day, let alone at night where the city's true colors came out. It may have been best known for being the most advanced city in terms of technology, but it also had the highest crime rate. Still, it was torture to sit in the shop alone waiting for daybreak. A thousand scenarios ran through Tim's mind. None of them positive. He sat at the kitchen table, tapping his fingers irritably and glancing up at the window every 10 minutes or so.

He stood suddenly, nearly knocking over the table in his attempt to get to the door. He could have _sworn _he saw someone looking in on him through the dirty glass. Standing in the street, listening intently and scanning the shadows for any signs of movement, he noticed that the night was unusually quiet. No sounds of struggle in the distant alleyways. No raucous laughter pouring from the nearby taverns. Just a faint whispering of wind. _Ah. There. _A creaking noise, like neglected hinges complaining about their use. A tan-colored blur of movement caught his eye.

"Hey!"

He took off after it, impressed and disturbed by the speed and agility with which the bot moved. Tim was actually having trouble keeping up with it. Through tight alleys, down unlit side streets, over low walls and chain link fences it tried to shake him. Even when Tim fell a bit behind it wasn't too hard to determine where the thing had gone. Every movement it made was accompanied by a loud creak or groan.

Finally, Tim had it cornered. One wrong turn - that's all it took. One wrong turn into an alley with a fence too high to jump and too slick with moss and grime to scale. Standing before it now with a clear view, Tim actually felt some amount of pity for the thing. Its frame was visible under a baggy brown hoodie and loose-fitting jeans, a black bandana pulled up over where its mouth should have been. The glow of his too-round red eyes was dim - a sign of a low battery. No marbelite, no covering of any sort over the fragile metal skeleton. It was rusted in places and covered in dampness and dirt. Tim frowned and hesitated.

"Who are you?"

It pointed to its face, pushing the bandana up slightly to show the smooth surface beneath. No mouth, no facial features.

"You can't speak at all?"

It shook its head "no". Tim wasn't sure what to do about it, honestly. He didn't really want to let it out of his sight, not after all the trouble he went through to hunt it down. It was badly in need of repair and he supposed that he could use that as an excuse to bring it back to the shop.

_Of course, Jay isn't there to do the repairs. You screwed the pooch on that one, remember?_

Tim winced. He didn't want to think about that, not right now.

"Alright, listen." He approached the bot slowly, holding his hands up to show that he wasn't going to hurt it as it scrambled backwards against the wall. "I'm going to bring you back to a place where you can get cleaned and fixed up and then you're going to explain who you are and what you were doing by the window, understand?"

After a moment of contemplation, it shook its head "no" again and stood up. He was wary of the bot's newfound confidence. The way it moved spoke of ill intent. Before he could defend himself or move out of the way the bot charged him, colliding with him in a full-body tackle. A sudden surge of static blinded him and then-

Nothing.


	13. Chapter 8

Tim stood in the doorway watching Alex with a blank expression. He didn't remember walking over, he didn't remember knocking, he didn't remember anything before Alex staring at him in disgust and waving him into the house. Before all that he had a vague recollection of chasing someone - or something - and then there was pain and static. That was it. He was still trying to piece these bits together in some way. It wasn't like he didn't have time to. For the past hour or so he had waited impatiently for Alex to finish getting ready. Why he had to pack so many things was beyond him. Already the man had accumulated a couple of bags of equipment and supplies. He wasn't sure how Alex was going to carry all of that, but he knew he sure as hell wasn't playing pack mule for that bastard.

"So, are you going to tell me why you look like crap?"  
"Excuse me?" Tim's eyes narrowed.  
"You've been staring off into the distance with that dumb spaced-out look in your eyes this entire time." Alex slung on of the bags over his shoulder and turned to face him. "You haven't spoken a word since you showed up either. I expected some witty insults at the very least."  
"I'm fine."  
"Fine? Fine like you were before Jay went missing?"

Tim had to cross his arms to keep from grabbing Alex again. The tiniest things enraged him when it came to this man. And if he was to be honest, it unsettled him. Maybe he was dangerous. Maybe after they found Jay he should just...He sighed, slumping back against the door frame.

"Don't say it like that. I blacked out last night. I don't remember what happened. I was running for some reason, then I blacked out, and then I was here."  
"Were you chasing someone, running from something, running to some place? I need actual details, Tim." He flinched. He'd only ever heard Jay and Jessica say his name. Somehow it sounded unnatural when Alex said it.  
"I think I was chasing someone. I don't know, ok? I don't remember."  
"What happened? Did you catch up to it? What were you chasing?"  
"What part of 'I don't remember' don't you understand?" A puff of steam escaped from his back and that was enough to shut Alex up. Tim shifted uncomfortably. At this point it seemed as if the steam functioned as a safeword of sorts. A sign that it was time for both men to stop talking.  
"Here." Alex held out a bag for Tim to take. Reluctantly, he threw it over his shoulder.  
"What is all of this anyway?"  
"Medical supplies, food, repair parts-"  
"Repair parts?"  
"Yes, repair parts." Alex shouldered past him (Tim could have sworn that he had made an olympic sport out of trying to get himself killed) and opened the door. "You know, in case you get damaged?"  
"Who exactly is going to do the repairs?"  
"What the fuck do you think I do for a living?"  
"_You _do repairs?"  
"Yes, I do repairs, now are we going to look for Jay today or do you want to sit here and go back and forth until tomorrow?"

* * *

"T-Tim?"

Jay's voice didn't carry very far here. Well, wherever 'here' was. It was dark and cold and he could feel damp stone against his bare back. He rubbed his arms and curled his knees up to his chest, wishing desperately that whoever had taken him had left him his sweatshirt.

"T-Tim? Are you there?"

He tried again. But he could almost feel his words falling out of his mouth and straight into his lap. Tentatively reaching out in front of him, he discovered that wherever he was it was a very small space. Jay couldn't even fully extend his arm. He found that the ceiling was only about an inch from his head, as were the walls to his left and right. A sudden feeling of claustrophobia overtook him and he had to shut his eyes and hold his head to stop himself from yelling out.

A long, low creak made him freeze. What he had thought was another wall to his right turned out to be a vault-like door. It opened now, revealing a much wider room with a worn-out bed and a makeshift table. A single candle acted as the only source of illumination. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust.

"Hello?"  
_"Hello, Jay." _The voice that responded sounded as if it was coming from his own head. _"Come out. It's safe."  
_"Who are you? Where am I?"  
_"In time, Jay. Come out."_

Crawling out into the open, he expected to feel a sense of relief. He didn't. The door slammed shut behind him and sank into the wall. At least he thought it did. It must have. It simply wasn't there any more.

The room was a decent size. The bed was no more than an old mattress on a rusted metal frame. A moth-eaten blanket had been tucked under the edges to make it seem a little more homey. The pillows had no cases and were covered in dark reddish-brown stains that Jay refused to even consider as blood stains. The table was just a flat board sitting on top of a pile of wooden crates. A smaller crate acted as a chair of sorts. A full-body mirror was propped up against the wall behind him, the one opposite the bed. Seeing his dirty, disheveled hair and the smudges on his face and neck, Jay cringed. There were dark circles under his eyes.

_God, how long have I been in here?_

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

Tim was looking up at the massive metal gate separating the Marble district from the Darkened district. It was unguarded, but there didn't seem to be a way to open it from this side. A dim blue-ish light spilled from either side of the gate. Glass containers full of some sort of oil he'd never seen before.

"If I'm right, this is where he'd be."  
"How do we get in? I don't suppose it's as simple as knocking?"  
"Oh I don't know, Tim, why don't you try and knock?" Alex shot him a dirty look before bending down to pick up a small stone. He threw it against the gate, shielding his eyes from the blinding white flash of light that consumed it. Tim inhaled sharply.  
"Oh."  
"Yeah. You have to have an invite, really. Or you can bribe your way in."  
"How?"  
"Blood."  
_"Excuse me?"  
_"Blood. You kill someone here and hitch a ride in when management comes."

Tim didn't like how nonchalant Alex sounded. They were talking about taking a human life and he was acting as if this were a completely natural and sensible thing to do. There was no empathy or sadness in his eyes. In fact, he seemed bored by the idea.

"Do you do this a lot?"  
"I used to. I used to work pretty high up on the chain. This was my daily commute for seven years."  
"How many people have you killed?"  
"I lost track."

_You lost track. Lovely. _


	14. Chapter 9

_**[TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD, GORE.]  
**_

_"He's dead, okay, he's been dead for the past six or seven strikes! Stop it!"_

Tim caught Alex's arm and pulled him back roughly. The stone clattered to the ground, slick with blood and a pulpy substance which Tim refused to accept was probably brains. Alex wiped his hands on his pants and used the edge of his shirt to clean his glasses. He still seemed almost bored. Perhaps, Tim thought, Alex had just learned to shut it all out. Maybe he was numb to this by now.

"Right." He said breathlessly as he grabbed one leg. "Help me drag this closer to the gate."  
"Did you have to use a rock? You have a freakin' gun on your belt."  
"Well...No, I probably could have shot him. I'm just used to using a rock, that's all."

Tim's lip curled in disgust. The man they had chosen as their ticket into the Darkened district appeared to be in his early twenties. He had a scruffy look to him - hadn't shaved in a week, reeked of cheap beer, and Tim assumed that shirt was white at some point long, long ago...Alex's reasoning was that he probably would have ended his own life in a few weeks' time anyway. Still, it seemed a cruel thing to do.

Thankfully, the streets here were completely dead. From Tim's brief strolls through the city when Jay wasn't talking to him, he had come to expect brawlers, drunkards, and cutpurses around every corner. He had expected to hear sounds of struggle in the alleys and loud swearing from the dimly lit taverns dotting the streets. But there was none of that here by the gate. There was a certain tension in the air, though he couldn't be certain whether or not that was just from being near Alex.

"So how long do we have to wait?"  
"They'll be here any minute. Actually we should get out of the way."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"

At that moment, a great rush of steam came from beneath the gate. The shriek of grinding metal cut through the silence like a bullet through paper. Alex seized his wrist and pulled him aside to stand in front of a nearby drug store. This didn't exactly seem like 'hidng' to Tim, but he kept his mouth shut. Through the cloud of steam he could see two figures approaching. They weren't extrordinary in sihlluoette - Two men of average height, average weight, nothing special. It was when they came into the light that Tim felt uneasy. They wore masks. Masks that felt oddly familiar, actually. Looking at them made his face feel strangely numb and tingly.

No straps or wires secured the maks to their faces. Both were made of some smooth, white metal and had finely painted black lips and heavy black rings around the eyes. There were no seems of any sort. The men stood over the body, examining it as if to make sure it was dead.

_Of course it's dead, is there really any question about that? He barely has any face left and the left half of his skull is missing. _

Alex jerked his head towards the open gate and motioned for Tim to follow as the men each took an arm and began to drag the man back with them. If the masked men knew they were there, they made no effort to stop them or acknowledge their presence.

* * *

"T-Tim?" _Wait._

Jay's voice didn't carry very far here. Well, wherever 'here' was. It was dark and cold and he could feel damp stone against his bare back. He rubbed his arms and curled his knees up to his chest, wishing desperately that whoever had taken him had left him his sweatshirt. _I've been here before. I know where I am._

"T-Tim? Are you there?" _Tim's not here. He wasn't here last time, either._

He tried again. But he could almost feel his words falling out of his mouth and straight into his lap. Tentatively reaching out in front of him, he discovered that wherever he was it was a very small space. Jay couldn't even fully extend his arm. He found that the ceiling was only about an inch from his head, as were the walls to his left and right. A sudden feeling of claustrophobia overtook him and he had to shut his eyes and hold his head to stop himself from yelling out. _Oh, right, there's a door._

One hand reached slowly to the wall on his right, finding the edge of a handle like you'd expect to find on a vault door. Jay wriggled himself into a better position to turn the wheel and tumbled out onto the floor of a dimly lit room. He had a feeling that he'd done this before - multiple times, in fact. The candle was burned down lower than the last time and the sheets on the old bed had been recently disturbed.

He stood up cautiously, scanning the room for...for what? Something in particular that he was supposed to find...Something he'd been working on? No...Yes?

Jay caught his reflection in a mirror propped up against the wall across from the bed. It was badly cracked, as if someone had punched it. Spots of dried blood surrounded the impact point. Jay looked down at his own knuckles, bruised and badly cut up.

So he had been here before. Recently.

* * *

Tim had no idea what he was expecting, but it wasn't this. The streets weren't cobblestone here, rather they were made of a thick, tar-black stone of some sort. Massive buildings with way too many windows that were too dark to see through rose up on either side of him. And it was _cold. _Even he could feel the icy wind that whipped around them.

"It's not usually this windy." Alex mumbled, pulling his jacket closer to his neck. "They must know we're here."

Tim didn't say anything. He was too busy watching the masked men. They were going through the dead man's pockets, emptying them of change, a set of keys, and a few scraps of paper. One of them pried a lead pipe from the man's belt (one that he had assumedly been using as a means of self-defense) and snapped it in half with ease. These weren't ordinary men.

"Are you coming?" Alex was already making his way down a narrow pathway that ran along the district wall.  
"Yeah." He pried his eyes away from the scene and walked after him quickly.  
"That's management. I still can't tell whether it's a punishment or a reward."  
"What's with those masks?"  
"Ugly, aren't they?" Alex paused to listen for something, shook his head, and kept walking. "As far as I can tell, they hammer one of those into your face and if you survive you get the job."  
"Jesus. How does one get picked out for that test?"  
"Either you get promoted from being a worker bee like I was, or you screw up really bad and they kidnap you in your sleep to hammer a mask onto your face."

Tim bit his tongue. He knew what Alex was implying, but he refused to think about that. Jay wasn't going to become one of those..._things. _Jay hadn't done anything wrong.

_What about you? Aren't you a mistake?_

He shook his head to force the thought away. He was _not _a mistake. Jay's disappearance was _not _his fault. It couldn't be. It wasn't.


	15. Chapter 10

_**[TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE, BLOOD, IMPLIED POTENTIAL SELF-HARM]**_

"What are you doing?"

This was the sixth time Alex had stopped, listened, and then taken an abrupt turn in their path. If you could even call it a path. The buildings weren't laid out in a grid like Tim had expected. Instead they were scattered, hap-hazard and unevenly spaced. Along the main road everything was quite uniform, but once they got back into the second and third layers of the district that neatness was gone. Less of a city district and more of a forest made of black glass pillars. Some of the buildings seemed no more than a single column, barely large enough to fit a person. Each one was a different width and height.

"You don't hear that?"  
"No, obviously not."  
"That _creaking _noise. What the hell is that?"

Tim stopped to listen. At first he only heard the wind as it picked up again, filling his head with a hollow staticy sound. After a moment or two he heard it. It was such a faint sound. But it sounded familiar. It reminded him of someone...Someone he'd only seen briefly, but recently. He couldn't quite place it, however.

"It's probably the wind."  
"It sounds like metal."  
"Well maybe it's one of those guys from management. With the masks."  
"They aren't made of metal, dumbass."  
"Maybe it's not metal! We don't have time for this, we have to find Jay."  
"It's following us."

Tim was about to say something but Alex held a finger to his lips for silence and changed their route again. He noticed now, though. Every once in a while it would come along the wind - a low groan that reminded him of a complaint. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew who - or what - it was.

_Stalk. Chase. Bot. Tackle. Static. _

"Wait." Tim stopped. They were moving along the main road now. Hadn't they just been noodling around through the maze-like inner sections of the district?  
"What?"  
"When did we get out here?"  
"What are you talking about? We've been walking along the main road for like, twenty minutes now."  
"Since when?" Alex's face went blank. Tim took a step back. He half expected Alex to charge him.  
"What?"  
"You blacked out, didn't you. It's close. We need to move, now."  
"Hey, wait up!"

Alex wasted no time in getting off the main road. He sprinted between the buildings with surprising ease. Tim wondered how many times Alex had to run like this when he worked here. He seemed quite familiar with the area, though he couldn't see any sort of landmarks. Occasionally they passed a smile pile of scrap metal or a dumpster, but other than that everything looked exactly the same. The noises were becoming much more frequent. They sounded closer.

"Alex! Move!" He dove out in front of the tan and black blur that came barreling around the corner towards Alex. He shoved the man to the ground roughly as his arm shot out to block the assailant's path. Tim's eyes went wide.

Searing pain. Unforgiving, raw, searing pain. Alex was on the ground, clutching his bag like a shield. Tim struggled to keep his hold on the bot, one arm firmly wrapped around its neck and the other arm hanging limp at his side. It was struggling to free itself. Tim dug his fingers into the bot's shoulder and the metal gave easily under his grip. They sunk right through. Sparks erupted from the new "wound" and the bot twisted violently, hands clawing at his arm weakly.

_"You." _He hissed. It was coming back to him now. This was the one he had chased into a corner. This was the one that caused the black outs. _This may have been the thing that cost him Jay._

* * *

For once, Alex was genuinely thankful for Tim's violent outburst. His attacker was on the ground now, Tim looming over it like a wild animal over wounded prey. Steam made an ominous haze around the two robots. The whole scene was almost cinematic. He watched, transfixed, as Tim's eyes go red as he stalked closer. He watched the bot scramble out of his reach, clutching its damaged shoulder.

_"No. Not this time. You're not getting away this time."_

This time? This had happened before?

_"Get up, you useless piece of scrap."_

The bot shook its head furiously, scooting back more. Alex wondered what was keeping Tim from simply dismantling the damn thing. It looked ancient, for Christ's sake, and he'd already damaged the thing.

_Oh._

Tim's arm hung loose at his side, barely attached to his body. That bot was apparently a lot stronger than it looked. Alex stood up cautiously, his hand hovering over the pistol at his belt. If he fired a shot, management would hear. And they didn't need that. Alex certainly couldn't fend them off, and neither could Tim in his current state. If he didn't and Tim tried to attack the bot, he wasn't sure if he could repair the inevitable damage Tim would sustain.

"Tim, leave it. Let's go. You can't fight like that."  
_"Shut up."  
_"Tim-"  
_"I said shut up!"_

Alex took a deep breath and started towards him. He seized Tim by his good shoulder and tried to pull him back. He was on the ground again before he could even register the movement. The side of his face stung badly and he was having trouble moving his jaw. That small distraction was all the mysterious bot needed. It was up and out of sight within seconds of Tim turning around.

_"What the hell is wrong with you? I could have ended that thing! I could have-"  
_"Gotten yourself damaged beyond repair, killed, been corrupted by it?" Alex retorted, staring up at him defiantly.  
_"You son of a bitch."  
_"I should have let you try. I should have let you get torn to shreds!"  
_"Get up."_

Tim grabbed his shirt, yanking him to his feet. He waited for the next blow, positive that this one was going to finish the first one's job and remove his jaw completely. It never came. Instead, the bot stooped down to pick up his glasses and held them out for him to take. Alex squinted at him suspiciously. Tim picked up the bag Alex had dropped and started to walk away.

"That's it? No fight?"  
_"No. Why, did you want one?"  
_"N-No. But why?"  
_"It's getting dark. We should find a place for you to rest and eat. I need a cigarette anyway."  
_"You didn't answer my question."  
_"And I probably never will. Let's go."_

* * *

This time he didn't bother calling the name. He didn't bother feeling around or rubbing his arms or any of the previous formalities. This time, Jay flung the door open and crawled into the light. This time he went straight to the mirror to look for the newest wound. A chunk of glass was missing from the mirror. It was there, on his neck, right below the bruises. One long, wide cut. Very neat, done quite purposefully he was sure. It wouldn't have surprised him if he had been the one to put them there. They were already starting to scar.

_Already? Pfft...I have no idea how long I've been out. It could have been days, weeks, months..._

A new candle burned on the table. The mask was there, too. His face felt suddenly itchy and he looked away. The fact that Jay himself had built that very mask made it all seem so much worse. He wouldn't put it on. He wouldn't turn into one of those things that came in every time he woke up just to "persuade" him.

_Then again, it's been so long and Tim still hasn't come looking for you..._

No, he was on his way. He was looking. Jay didn't know where he was, how could Tim possibly know?

_He won't find you. _

Jay sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from the table and the mask. He was too numb to cry this time.


	16. Repair

_**[TRIGGER WARNING: GORE]**_

"Hold still, damn it!"

Alex grimaced. He had to give Jay serious credit - he had never seen wiring so complex. As if it weren't difficult enough to figure out what went where, there was no good place to prop up the flashlight, leaving him only a dim glow to work by. He hadn't anticipated having to do such a heavy repair. This was going to set them back a day or two. Tim shifted, craning his neck around to see what he was doing. With an aggravated sigh he shoved the bot's head forward and continued his work, ignoring the throaty growl from Tim. The arm was only connected by a handful of wires and a single thick cord, having almost been torn off completely in the attack.

_"Why is that thing following us? Why did it attack you?"  
_"I don't know! You know more about it than I do. You said something about not letting it get away 'this time'."  
_"The night before we left I chased it away from the shop. I had it cornered, but it tackled me and I blacked out. Are you sure you've never seen that thing before?"  
_"What? Of course I'm sure."  
_"Somehow I don't believe you, Alex."_

Alex bit his lip. He _had _seen it before. He just couldn't remember where, when, or what had happened.

"Listen, you need to calm down. You're steaming too much. I can't see what I'm doing."  
_"How would you feel if you just-"  
_"Got my arm ripped off?"

A tense silence fell between them. Somehow, Alex had expected it to feel good knowing that this monstrosity had suffered the same fate as him. But it didn't. It was discouraging. And it must have hurt. After all, Jay had given him the gift of sensation - although right about now it must've seemed like a curse. He himself remembered the pain quite vividly. He remembered his vision going completely white, the instant of numbness, the shock coursing through his system, and then the red-hot agony shooting through his veins. He still had nightmares about it. Sometimes, Tim didn't listen to Jay and he finished the job nice and slow. Limb by limb. Sometimes his arm never came fully off. Sometimes he just ran into Jay, without Tim there, and he made his comments about the dangers of sentient robots and everyone went on their merry way.

"What did it feel like to you?"  
_"What?"  
_"Your arm. What did it feel like when it tore?"  
_"It hurt."  
_"Obviously. Describe it."  
_"Why do you want to know?"  
_"I'm curious. Can't a man be curious?"  
Tim sighed and Alex assumed the conversation was over. He paused to wipe the condensation from his glasses.

_"It felt hot. Like I was burning from the inside out. Then my fingers went numb, I assume that nerve was severed completely. Then I couldn't move my wrist and I kind of freaked out, and I think maybe that made it hurt worse because I pulled back really fast and I probably put a lot of stress on the wires further up my arm. It was a really sharp pain and it didn't stop. It hasn't stopped. I still can't feel my fingers or move my wrist."_

Alex nodded, though Tim couldn't see him. Similar in many ways and yet so different. His pain was more technical. It didn't come with the emotional pain, really. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Twice they had to shut off the light because Alex thought he heard movement, but nothing ever came to bother them.

By the time he was finished and the arm was firmly bolted back in place, most of the nerves re-connected and the large patches of missing marbelite sealed up with a lightweight rubber, dawn was arriving. His eyes ached, his fingers were cut up from the ragged metal edges and numb from the cold, his head hurt from dehydration...He was a tired mess.

"Alright, I guess we should move."  
"No. You need to rest." The distortion was gone from the bot's voice. Alex eyed him suspiciously.  
"Don't you want to find Jay?"  
"Of course I do, dipshit. But you're no use to us tired and hungry. Eat, drink, and lay down. I'll stand guard. I don't sleep, remember?"  
"You expect me to trust you? After what you did?"  
Tim's eyes narrowed and for a moment Alex actually regretted his words.  
"Fine. Don't trust me then. Eat, drink, and lay down and be strung-out about it the entire time for all I care. But you need to rest. So rest."

With his back to the wall and shielded on both sides by dumpsters and scrap piles, Alex got as comfortable as one could get when your bed was a thin blanket laid out over the cold ground. Tim sat across from him in full view.

"Thanks, by the way."  
"What?"  
"Thank you. For fixing my arm."  
"Oh. You're welcome, I think." A pause. "I guess we're even now."  
"I guess so."  
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Alex pushed himself up onto his elbows. "You hate me. You could have let that thing attack me. Why didn't you?"  
"Listen, I don't have a good reason, so stop making me think about it before I decide to go back to wanting you dead."  
"I deserve an answer." He mumbled.  
"Well that's unfortunate."

_Screw you. It wouldn't even matter why you're starting to care if I wasn't starting to care too._


	17. Chapter 11

_**[TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE, BLOOD.]**_

Tim flexed his fingers again. Still numb. That nerve had been severed completely and Alex didn't have the parts on hand to fix it. Jay could repair it when they found him. And they would. They would find him. And he absolutely refused to consider any other possibility. Beause those thoughts hurt. They caused physical pain in his chest and made him feel horribly, sickeningly human. Sentience was a curse just as much as it was a blessing.

"Where are we going, anyway?"  
"To my old office."  
"That's one hell of a morning commute."  
"There's a much quicker way. You just don't want to run into other_ employees_."  
"So we're taking a two-day detour?"  
"It might be longer."

The wind was ridiculous. It was always pushing against them no matter which way they turned and it never seemed to stop. Sometimes it got almost violent and they had to duck behind a building to wait it out. Alex usually mumbled something about the "higher ups" being upset about something when this happened. Tim hadn't quite given up on asking for clarification about Alex's working days here and his familiarity with management and the higher ups, though his past attempts hadn't been very successful.

"So, what did you do when you worked here?"  
"I don't really want to talk about it."  
"I know you killed people, that was literally your office key. What else did you do?"  
"I told you, I don't want to talk about it."  
"Well that's unfortunate, because we're going to talk about it. I think I deserve to be in the know about that sort of thing right now."  
"They wanted me to work in management and I wouldn't put the mask on. I guess they admired my stamina so they just bumped me up one. I handled a lot of face-to-face stuff."  
"Face-to-face?"  
Alex sighed impatiently and turned around.  
"Listen, all you need to know is that my work was bloody, I quit, and now I'm technically unemployed. You're not allowed to just 'quit' in this company. I've seen my boss. I've seen him happy, I've seen him angry, and I've seen him snap. He doesn't want me here, I don't want to be here, and I'm done talking about it."  
"How did you quit then?"  
There was a long silence. Tim didn't really feel like getting into an argument though, so he simply dropped it. They started off again at a much faster pace than before.

"I ran." Alex said suddenly. He paused to take a shaky breath and closed his eyes. "I just left and didn't come back one morning. The boss can't leave the district, so he sent management after me. I guess they got tired of hauling the coworkers' corpses back with them because they gave up eventually. Now I do repairs."

So he was risking life and limb come back to a place where he had a bounty on his head. It didn't really matter to Tim whether it was for his sake or for Jay's, but he wondered about it none the less. That was part of the reason he was starting to care, too. Alex didn't have to stay. He didn't have to help. He was probably just trying to prove a point - that robots are dangerous and that Jay was an idiot. Or he was genuinely concerned. Tim shook his head. It was confusing and probably pointless to think about.

"We're almost there. We should wait until morning though, it's getting kind of dark."

Tim grimaced. He didn't like the idea of waiting until daylight. From what Alex had told him, the longer they waited, the more danger Jay was in. Besides, that strange bot seemed to be chasing them again. They could hear it when the wind settled. It was careful not to move around unless the wind was blowing and covering up the creaks and groans of its worn metal frame. Tim was starting to appreciate these freak wind storms. It was the only thing between him and an unpleasant fight.

"How far away are we, time-wise?"  
"Three, maybe four hours of walking. But once the sun goes down it'll be a lot harder for me to tell where we are."  
"We have to keep moving. Jay might be hurt, that stupid piece of scrap metal might catch up to us, management might catch up - there are too many things that could go wrong if we stop."  
Alex seemed to think about it a moment before sighing and nodding reluctantly.  
"I guess. But we better haul ass. The sun's almost set, it's about to get real dark."

* * *

Jay's head hit the wall hard. He moaned, squeezing his eyes shut as if that would somehow block out the pain. His tried to pry the man's hands from his shoulders but he was too weak and dizzy at this point. It was a useless, desperate action but it made him feel better knowing that he was still trying.

_Why? You're either going to die from these beatings, kill yourself, or put the damn mask on. Nobody is coming. Nobody is looking for you._

No, he knew better than that. Tim was looking for him. He had to be.

_Give up, just give up. This is a privilege._

A privilege. Yes, becoming a murderous, brainless, trigger-happy zombie was definitely a privilege. He just wanted to go home and sleep and wake up the next day to work on a complicated order and maybe Tim would help him out. The masked man slammed him against the wall again and the iron taste of blood filled his mouth. The hands holding his shirt collar let go and he sank to the floor.

_Tomorrow. You have one more day before you no longer have a say in the matter. It's up to you - we hammer it on ourselves or you let it merge with you._

Jay waited until all was quiet and he was sure he was alone again before opening his eyes. He didn't move or make a noise. He was dirty, sore, tired, and bloody. The mask lay on his lap, staring up at him expectantly.

"No." He mumbled to no one in particular, blood dripping from his lip where a particularly rough punch had split it.


	18. Chapter 12

_**[TRIGGER WARNING: SLIGHT BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE(?). ACTUALLY WAIT DOES THAT CLASSIFY AS GORE? PIERCINGS. UNEXPECTED PIERCINGS. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO WARN YOU ABOUT.]**_

"Fine. You win."

Tim wasn't coming. Nobody was coming. Jay was physically and mentally exhausted. It was time to give up.

As he stared down at the mask in his lap he could have sworn he saw it smile. Just a little, just the corner of its painted mouth turning up ever so slightly. He turned it over in his hands, feeling his heart drop into his stomach. There was no going back after this, he knew that. But it had been nearly a year, hadn't it? It certainly felt like it. He could only endure it for so long.

The pain was worse than he had originally anticipated. Though the inside of the mask was perfectly smooth and too thin, he thought, to hide hooks of any sort, as soon as he brought it to his face he felt several stabbing pains. The first were two hooks that drove through his eyebrows, like a piercing he hadn't agreed to. The third was through the bridge of his nose, then through each nostril, and finally one sealing his lips in the center. Jay let out a soft whimper. Blood dribbled down his chin and dripped onto his shirt.

_There you go...About time. It'll only hurt for a few days, then you won't feel a thing. You'll be stronger and faster and much less...squishy. Anyway, you have a job to do. Usually we'd let you heal but...well, you've delayed us quite a bit. I believe you're familiar with the target, actually..._

* * *

"Damn it!"  
"What?" Tim jumped, catching Alex as he stumbled backwards into him. "What is it?"  
"It was a trap. It was a trap the whole time. I should have known!" He cursed under his breath and ducked behind the nearest building. Tim leaned out to see what the problem was. The door of Alex's office building was open.  
"And you think Jay is in there?"  
"Well, probably. That's where they bring new additions."  
"Let's go then."  
"Are you insane?" Alex caught Tim's wrist and he immediately yanked himself free of his grip.  
"Yes, obviously. If Jay is in there, I'm going to go get him. You want to stay out here, that's fine. I'm going in."  
"You're an idiot."  
"Yeah, I know. You've said that."

The inside of the building was much like the outside - black and glossy and empty. The air was heavy and had an almost electrical charge to it. Alex was lingering outside the door, looking more and more agitated by the second.

"This was your office?" Tim looked back at him doubtfully. He sighed, took a moment to steel his nerves, and stepped inside.

The room immediately lit up and filled with furniture. It looked a bit like a dungeon, Tim thought. Stone walls, a shaky wooden table, an old mattress with a moth-eaten blanket sitting on a rusty cot frame. A single candle cast an eerie glow through the space.

"Something's wrong. This isn't..."  
"This isn't what?" _Don't you dare say this isn't your office or so help me God.  
_"This isn't my office. We need to go. Now."  
"What the hell do you mean this isn't your office?" Tim hissed, trying to catch Alex's shoulder before he could run off. They needed to stick together at the very least.  
"I think that's a pretty self-explanatory statement, Tim!"

The door was gone. Both men stared blankly at the smooth wall where their only escape should have been. In its place was a small, rusty looking vault door.

* * *

_Wake up._

"Mmm?" Jay groaned. He was still half-asleep. Yesterday's beating must have been pretty brutal...his face hurt worse than ever. He tried to open his mouth and found that he couldn't. It hurt to even try. He reached up to feel his lips and met instead the cold metal of the mask. That's when the panic set in. That's when his hands flew to the familiar handle and that's when he spilled out onto the familiar cold floor and found himself staring up at two familiar faces.

_Oh, good. If you'd waited just one more day it would have been too late for us._

Jay's heart sank. Tim and Alex _had _been coming. And had he just waited a little longer, had he just endured one more beating he would have been fine and he could have gone home and been ok.

_Nonsense. You are home. You are ok. Now -_

"Mm!" He scrambled to his feet and threw his arms around Tim's neck.

* * *

"It's too late. Run, run now." Alex said, tugging at Tim's arm. Tim didn't move. He was holding Jay and steaming profusely.  
"Run where exactly? And it's not 'too late', Alex. Can't we just remove it or something?"  
"Yeah sure, if you don't mind removing his _face _along with it!"  
"We'll figure something out, okay? I'm not leaving him here!"  
"He's done, Tim! He's gone, he put the damn thing on and he's not _Jay _any more. Let's go, before the rest of them show up!"  
"Shut up! He's fine, he's going to be fine!"

Alex sighed impatiently. Jay - or rather, the newest member of management - had stepped back and was tugging at the edges of the mask. He made a strangled noise of pain and Tim pulled his hands away, telling him to be patient. Though...he did have to admit that this wasn't typical behavior for management. There was no way to tell how long Jay had been here. Time didn't work the same in these offices. Maybe the mask hadn't merged all the way? If so, they had about 48 hours before the damage was irreversible. Alternatively, this could all be-

_Creak._

"Tim."  
"What?" He was still trying to keep Jay from ripping the mask off.  
"It caught up."  
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."


	19. Chapter 13

_**[Wow this is the most depressing thing I have ever written to date. I literally made myself cry. So, if you're not ready for horrible emotional trauma do not read this. I seem to have become John Green.**_

_**WARNINGS: Head injury, extreme violence against bots and humans alike, some blood, guns (idk if that should be in the warnings, but just in case), death all the fuck over the place.]**_

The hooded bot ignored both Tim and Jay completely. Instead it went straight for Alex, arms outstretched and fingers curled like claws. To his surprise it was Jay who lunged for the rogue bot - Alex had half expected Tim to try to save him again. The word "disposable" came to mind, but he didn't have much time to be bitter about it. They grappled for a brief moment before Jay fell to the floor with an unhealthy _crack. _Tim flew to his side and Alex realized he was going to be on his own.

He had never been more thankful for a robotic replacement arm in his life. It caught most of the bot's weight as his back hit the ground, but a shower of sparks fell on his face and drew forth a pained hiss. So this was it then. This was its revenge. It still remembered after all these years. Alex couldn't remember the details very clearly, especially not now as he rolled his head out of the way of a potentially fatal blow. But he remembered staring down at the wide gash in her torso and being very, very afraid.

* * *

"Jay! Look at me, Jay. Stay with me."

Tim was afraid to move him. He'd been thrown to the ground with quite some force. Now he was twitching and his eyes seemed out of focus. They were trying to fix on his face, but they kept getting glassy and straying to a point somewhere past his head.

"Talk to me, make a noise if you can hear me. Just try."

He mustered a quite whimper, but that was about as good it was going to get. Jay's hand kept spasming, but he could tell he was trying to point at something. Alex. _Seriously? _He had always said that compassion was going to be the death of his maker, and right about now it looked like he was right.

"Are you sure?"  
Jay nodded as best he could. Tim tried to stop him from moving his head. Each movement made the dribble of blood leaking out from under the mask's chin flow heavier.  
"N-No. I won't. I can't. You're going to-"

Jay grabbed at Tim's shirt, finally meeting his eyes and holding them there. He convulsed again, again, and then went still. His fingers still had grip on his shirt and his eyes seemed to be able to move but the jerking motions had caused something else to snap. Tim carefully uncurled Jay's fingers and looked over his shoulder at Alex and the bot.

_"If you die because I chose to listen to you, I'll burn this entire goddamn city to the ground."_ He growled.

* * *

"I did what I had to! You went wrong, you were the worst mistake she's ever made and you _killed _her! I see not much has changed since then, either. You're still a violent, heartless _robot. _You wanted so bad to be human, but you're just a machine! Cold, mindless-"

Rough metal gripped his jaw and the bot forced Alex to look at its face.

_I did what I had to do, too. And you tried to kill me for it.  
_"You ripped her _heart_ out of her chest, you son of a bitch." Alex tried to twist himself into a better position, tried to get even the tiniest amount of leverage. The bot held strong.  
_She was going to kill me.  
_"She couldn't have killed you, you're not even alive." It was hard to speak with metal fingers closing around your throat.  
_Liar._

Alex closed his eyes, waited for a killing blow, waited for his breath to cease altogether. Instead, a great weight was suddenly removed from his chest and the air rushed back into his lungs, making him cough violently. Tim seized the bot by the neck and had thrown it to the ground with enough force to send up a shower of sparks. Alex pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he could, taking a moment to steady himself before reaching for his gun.

He didn't have to.

* * *

He was numb. Completely and utterly numb. He knew that Jay was going to die - the bot had followed through all the way, forcing his head into the ground. And instead of trying to survive, instead of preserving his own life, Jay had chosen to save Alex. Tim would probably never understand this, and right about now he didn't actually care. He truly didn't. Beneath him was the cause of all of his troubles. It was grabbing at his shoulders, kicking his legs out and trying to pry itself free.

_"No. You're going to suffer."  
I have no problem with you. Let me go and I'll leave you be.  
"Oh, really? Well in that case-"_ Tim grabbed the bot and bashed its head into the ground.  
_You're making a mistake, brother. You're not the-  
"I'm not your fucking brother." _His fingers dug into the metal frame of the bot's shoulder. Sparks, an awful grinding noise, and then a resounding _clang _as the arm landed a few feet away.  
_The one called Alex. He is the one I want dead. Your maker got in my way. He would still be alive if he had just-  
_There was a terrible noise as Tim buried his hand in the bot's chest, found the baseball-sized orb suspended by brass hooks, and tore it out. The light in the bot's eyes faded, flickered, and then went out completely. He sat there for a moment, shaking out of pure rage.

Somehow, just killing this thing didn't seem like enough.

* * *

Alex took a few steps back. He had originally intended to go see if Jay was alright, but the sheer brutality of Tim's behavior kept him rooted to the spot. He didn't stop when the bot was deactivated - no, that apparently was not enough. Instead, he let out an animatistic roar and tore it apart piece by piece before simply collapsing to his side. He had either overheated or given up entirely, Alex wasn't sure yet.

What he was sure of was the fact that Jay needed help. He was lying there, completely paralyzed. Alex sighed. That was no way to live. He wouldn't ever fully regain control of his body, he probably had horrible brain damage, god only knows what the boss would do with a paralyzed brain-dead employee...Probably feed him through a fucking meat grinder just for kicks.

Oh he would give anything not to do this. As much as he resented Jay and his robot, he didn't deserve all of this. He only wanted to help. There was no point in letting him suffer.

* * *

Tim's eyes flew open.

_Oh that better have been fired into your own brain. God help you if you shot him because I will end your life slowly and painfully if you-_

He pushed himself upright slowly. If he looked back and saw what he thought he was about to see...And he did. Alex was standing there with a sad look on his face, smoke drifting from the barrel of his gun.

_"Alex."  
_"I had to."  
_"No, you didn't have to. You wanted to."  
_"What?" Alex looked genuinely confused. Maybe he was a better liar than Tim had originally thought.  
_"You hated him, didn't you. You've wanted an excuse to do that for a very long time, I bet."  
_"Ok, you're obviously upset, but that's not..."

Alex had stopped talking and started backing away. Tim hadn't even realized that he was walking towards him until now. His hands went up to block him, but a robotic arm can only take so much. It wasn't built to survive the equivalent force of a human-sized sledgehammer.

* * *

Tim nodded slowly. He was covered in blood and grease, sitting cross-legged on a damp, dirt street in a forbidden city district. He was surrounded by dead bodies, lost limbs, and twisted metal. It was over. Completely over.

_Not quite. May I make an offer?_

Tim said nothing. He looked up at a tall, spindly bot with no face. It was black and white in color, but it's coating wasn't marbelite. In fact, it didn't even seem to have a coating. Instead, it was a frame made of a shiny black metal - more of a gemstone actually. The white pieces were almost translucent. Some kind of stained glass, he assumed.

_You're stuck in a very unfortunate loop. But I'm a forgiving man, and since you're the prize creation of one of my best workers perhaps I could do you a favor. _

"Such as?" He tried to sound apathetic, but he had to admit that he was curious. This must have been Jay and Alex's boss. But what could he possibly offer to make up for all of this? Furthermore, what did he mean "stuck in a very unfortunate loop"?

_I'll restart the sequence for you. It will proceed exactly the same as this sequence, unless you make different choices of course.  
_"I'm not lucky enough for it to be free. What do you want in exchange?"  
_Clear the slate.  
_"How? What do you mean?"  
_Fire is a good cleanser, or so I've heard. I was forged in fire and I'm the definition of purity.  
_"You're asking me to set fire to...what, the city?"  
_Here, let me help you._


	20. Chapter 14

_**[These awful, glitchy systems...Sometimes when the loop restarts, certain players keep their memories. That bot in the Hoody kept his once and has continued to keep them ever since...No matter. Perhaps you'll make better choices this time around, Timbot.]**_

_Heat. Unbearable heat consuming everything. He should have apologized to Jessica and Brian at the very least. Oh well, it was too late now. A metal hand on his shoulder. This bot was surprisingly expressive considering it didn't have a face._

Tim woke with a jolt. He was staring at a familiar face. A very proud, very _alive _face.

"Hi there."  
"J-Jay?"  
"You...already know my name?" Jay looked puzzled but pleased. Tim didn't say anything. He simply reached out and touched his cheek gingerly. He couldn't feel the flesh beneath his fingertips, but it didn't matter. What mattered is that this wasn't an illusion - It was Jay, and Jay was alive. "Uh...Your name is T-Tim, for the record. I'd introduce myself but you apparently already know who I am. I guess I did a better job on your database than I thought."  
"You have to install a system of nerves in me as soon as possible. So that I can feel. You'll need an external battery while you're working and you'll wind up doing it limb by limb but that's okay."

Jay stared at him, mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to say something and failing to find the words to do so. Tim smiled knowingly. He was just happy to have Jay back. More importantly, he was happy to have the edge this time around. He knew exactly what _not _to do this time. He was still going to rip Alex's arm off the first chance he got. Sure, he hadn't shot anyone yet, and Jay would be angry with him for a while, but he had survived that once and he could do it again. He was going to have the last laugh, even if it was technically the first laugh as well.

* * *

Jay never understood why the bot he built for a boyfriend hated Alex so much. He had no idea why it insisted on installing extra locks on the doors and windows, or why it wired an entire alarm system once when he was off buying a replacement part for a project he was doing. He didn't understand how it knew so much already, as if it had done this all before...But he was very proud of it.

* * *

_[Well, you may wish to know why this took so long and was so short and I'll be 110% honest with you: I had no idea what to do after that last chapter. Welcome to Azazel bullshitting his way through a story, it happens 10/10 times. But there you have it. Loop reset, memory glitch, Timbot will forever remember each previous loop. Just like Hoodybot. Sucks a bit though...He never did figure out how to prevent this entire thing from happening over and over and over...]_

**_[All credits go to tumblr user: theshippingturtle for creating this AU. I am but a humble scribe.]_**


End file.
